After a battle through the tough Sierra Foothill League slate, Whitney softball found itself cruising toward a Sac-Joaquin Section title Friday night at Arnaiz Softball Complex in Stockton.
The Wildcats, however, hit a roadblock in Game 1 versus defending Division I section champion Tracy when they were shut out for the first time all season, 11-0.
“(The girls told me), ‘Coach, we got this,’” Whitney head coach Mike Mello said after the Game 1 loss. “They were overwhelmed in that first couple of innings. The girls had a meeting after the loss and they all said we came too far to let this slip away.”
The loss by Whitney forced a winner-take-all game later in the night, which allowed both teams one last crack at the title. The Wildcats scored six runs in both the first and seventh innings to propel them to Whitney’s first section title in softball. The 16 runs scored in the nightcap by Whitney marked the second day in a row accomplishing that feat. Whitney beat Elk Grove 16-6 on Thursday to get to the final and beat the defending champion, Tracy, by the same 16-6 margin in the winner-take-all championship game.
“That first game loss to Tracy definitely humbled us,” Whitney senior Mazie Macfarlane said. “After that game, we washed off our hands and fixed our hair to do something different.”
The win over Elk Grove to get to the championship meant a little extra to this youthful Wildcats team. The Herd knocked Whitney out of the playoffs last year, 1-0, in extra innings and beat them 6-3 in the preseason this year.
“It felt so good to beat Elk Grove yesterday,” Macfarlane said. “We have always had a target on our back, especially with them. In the past, I haven’t been able to hit off their pitcher, so it felt great to be able to do so yesterday.”
Fast forward to Friday’s decisive Game 2 and Whitney found the same offense it had the previous day versus Elk Grove. The Wildcats jumped out of the gate to score six first-inning runs, highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Makenzie Macfarlane and Montanah Hermosillo.
Nia Trinidad took the circle and helped her team throughout the game. After being pulled early in Game 1, Trinidad went the distance and tamed a red hot Bulldogs offense in Game 2.
“I’m so proud of our pitcher (Trinidad),” Mello said. “She struggled a little bit in the first game but when I took her out, I told her, ‘I’m going to need you next game.’ She’s carried us most of this season with 14 wins.”
In the circle all year for Whitney, it’s been the two-headed monster of Trinidad and Sierra Bedrin. Those two offer Mello a unique luxury in high school softball – having two aces who can go on any day.
“It makes it so nice to have two aces,” Mello said with a laugh. “No one in high school sports really has that, so it’s a benefit to have.”
While the pitching of Whitney has been good all year, the bats have been even better. The Wildcats strung together a total of 19 hits in the championship game, including three each by the Macfarlane twins, Ashley Williams and Amara Labonog. Grace Stover and Makenzie Macfarlane also drove in four runs apiece.
Tracy cut the deficit down to 7-5 in the fifth inning, but behind three runs in the sixth and six in the seventh, Whitney left Stockton comfortably with the 16-6 win.
The win may be sweet, but saying goodbye to the seniors is always bitter. Whitney featured five seniors on this year’s championship team, four of which have been on the team since they were freshmen. Mello had his first year at Whitney in 2016, which was the same year Mazie and Makenzie Macfarlane, Stover and Williams were all pulled up.
“This whole team off the field are best friends,” Mello said. “The morning before the game, the whole team got breakfast together and talked about how they were going to get this section title.”
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